Gesellschaft



.- July 29 1924. Re. 15,882

v. scHLAFER PERCUSS ION FUSE Opiginal Filed Seat. 4, ,1920

Reiaued July 29, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

vALEN'rrn sonnfir'na, or ESSEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR 'ro RI D, Knprr AKTIEN- GmcHA-FT, OI ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHR, GERMANY.

rnnoossrou rUsE.

Original No. 1,806,499, dated January 1921, Serial No. 408,405, filed September 4, 1920. Application for reissue filed February 9, 1921. Serial No. 443,705.

(GRANTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1921, 41 STAT. L, 1313.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, VALENTIN SCHLAFER,

a citizen of the German Republic, residing at 28 Einig Keitstrasse, Essen, Germany,

5 have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Percussion Fuses, of which the following is a specification. I I

This invention relates to a percussion fuse with a rammer, which in addition to high sensitiveness possesses a very simple and at the same time reliable construction for pre- "venting the entrance of dust and moisture.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings,

The figure is a longitudinal section of the construction. V

I will now particularly describe the structure illustrated in the figure.

A denotes the body of the fuse and the rammer which is movable longitudinally relatively thereto in an axial direction, and which rammer carries a firing pin b which projects into a striker C movable longitudinally also in an axial direction relatively to the body A of the fuse, and which firing pin b, when the fuse is in the transport state, stands opposite to and a short distance away from a detonator 0 mounted in the striker C. Between the rammer B and the striker C is interposed a weak helical spring D. The fuse is rendered safe in the usual way by means of a number of locking pieces E, which in the transport state of the fuse project into the path of the rammer B and the striker C and durin the flight of the projectile swing outwar s in a well-known manner one after the other by reason of centrifugal force. The part b of the rammer which projects out beyond the body A of the fuse is made in the form of a thinwalled, easily compressible tube and is covered by a likewise compressibly protecting cap A, which, without being connected to the rammer, is screwed to and so forms part of the body A of the fuse. The rammer B and the protecting cap A remain permanently connected to the fuse. The fuse is therefore on the one hand able to be used at once even in the transport state and at the same time always protected against the entrance of dust and moisture. If a projectile provided with the fuse descrlbed should fall during transport from a great b of the rammer will only be compressed together, any perforation of the safeltay not vice formed by the locking pieces being possible in this case.

When the projectile is fired the locking pieces E prevent in the usual way the rammer B from flying back so far under the action of inertia that the firing pin explodes the detonator 0 After the projectile has been ejected from the barrel of the gun, the locking pieces swing outwards by reason of centrifugal force and release the rammer and the striker. The firing pin 6 is now only kept from contacting with the detonator c by the comparatively weak spring D. As the rammer B is completely protected against the action of the air pressure by the cap A the weak action of the spring D is enough absolutely in order to prevent any premature explosion of the detonator. It is therefore not necessary, in contradistinction to other known fuses in which the rammer is exposed to the action of the air pressure, to. provide special measures for securing the rammer against a premature movement by the air pressure, whereby very considerable simplification of the construction of the fuse is attained. When the projectile strikes and if it strikes on the point the cap A is stove in and so drives the rammer inwards, so that the firing pin 6 explodes the detonator 0 As the. resistance of the cap A may be made as small as may be desired, a corresponding sensitiveness of the fuse can be secured without difficulty. If the impact of the projectile is so flat that the cap A is not stove in, the ignition is effected by the striker a shooting forwards and driving the detonator on to the firing pin 6 As the striker has only to overcome the resistance of the weak spring D the fuse possesses a high degree of sensitiveness in this case also.

Claims:

1. A percussion fuse of the class described, comprising a body, a striker, a. rammer formed with a main section and an easily compressible section, the main portion of the rammer being contained within the bod a comparatively weak springinterp between the rammer and" the striker, and a comparatively fragile protecting cap permanently. attached to the body of the fuse, the compressible sec i of said rammer contacting with the cap.

2. A percussion fuse of the type de-v scribed, which comprises a body, a striker, a rammer formed with a main sect-ion and a compressible extension, a firing pin carried by the main section of the rammer, sa-id striker, rammer and firing p-in being in axial alinement, a comparatively weak spring disposed between said raminer and said striker, the main portion of said rammer being contained within the body, and a compressible projecting cap permanently connected tothe'body of the flise, the campressible part of said rammer contacting with said cap.

3. A fuse for projectiles comprising a body, a rammer, two firing parts, one of which is carried by the rammer, a compressible cap rigidly attached to said body and permanently covering said rammer, and a safety device having locking means n'or-- mally extending between said firing parts for preventing accidental firing movement of the rammerand adapted to automatically release the rammer after firing; the rammer, when released from said locking means, being so easily movable in the direction of firing, that it remains in position during flight only when covered by said compres-v sible cap against air pressure.

firing par s, e o hi h is. c rrie y i the ram ne a ompressi e p g y tached to said body and permanently covsa-id rammer, and a safety device havmg ocking Ineans normally extending between said firing parts for preventing accidental firing movement of the rammer and adapted to automatically release the rammer after firing; the ram'mer, when released from said lockin means, being so easily movable in the "direction o'f 'fi'ring, that it remains in during flight only when covered by said compressible cap aga nst air 5,. A ruse fo projectiles comprisin a body, a rammer, two firing parts, one of which is carried by the rammer, a. compressible c'a'p rigidly attached tosaid body and permanently covering said rammer, the ramni'er being movable independently of said cap, a weak spring interposed between said firin' parts and tending to separate them, an a safety device interposed between said firing parts for preventing accidental firing movement of the ram mer; the rammer, after said safety device has been thrown out of action being so easily movable in the direction of firing" that it remains in position during flight only when covered by said compressible cap a ga-inst air pressure. I a u VALENTIN SCHLAFER. Q 

